Test of Will: Trial of the Drowned Girl
by Whatthechuck3
Summary: In this follow up to Trial of the Slave Pill, Ranma and co's problems continue as a figure from Cologne's past comes back to exact revenge. Ranma and Akane's life will never be the same. RanmaXAkane
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or its characters. Oh well..**

 **Author's Note: This is a sequel to Test of Love: Trial of the Slave Pill. I would recommend reading that story first if you haven't.**

 **Ch. 1**

"AHHHHHH!" Ranma Saotome bolted up in bed, drenched in sweat. The red-headed martial artist quickly glanced around the room before burying her head in her shaky hands. Slowly, her rapid breathing and panting began to cease as she came to her senses. It had just been a nightmare.

No...rather it had been the same nightmare. The one she hadn't had for almost 8 years, but that she knew all too well. Ranma shook her head and sighed. Looking to her left, she saw the still soundly sleeping form of her wife, Akane, who's iron-clad sleep cycle had not been disturbed by her spouse's sudden outburst in the slightest.

Granted, Ranma's cry may have simply been drowned out by the former Tendo's snoring. The pig-tailed fighter closed her eyes and took a few more deep, calming breaths. She reached out her hand and gently brushed the blue hair from her hibernating wife's forehead. The touch of Akane's skin helped her feel more at ease...She definitely was not a doll. However, Ranma couldn't shake some nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

The red-head carefully slipped her legs out from under the bed covers and rose to her feet. Not that she really HAD to be careful. There was no real danger of disturbing her bedmate's slumber. But she didn't want to take any chances, all the same. Ranma had always found Akane's short fuse to be even shorter when she didn't get enough sleep...She briefly stretched, then walked over to the large window overlooking their backyard.

The night was calm, from what the girl's eyes could see. The stars were few and far between thanks to the overcast, cloudy weather they'd been getting the past few days. Ranma stared out the window, regardless, trying to forget her dream...but something was still not quite right...There was something about it she just couldn't shake.

For the most part, the dream had been the same as it had always been. Akane was a doll...the doll she'd been back on Phoenix Mountain so many years ago. She fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. Normally, that was the bulk of the nightmare...repeating on a near endless loop. But this time, there had been another figure present in the dream. Just like the sky outside, the figure had been almost completely shrouded in darkness. Yet something seemed extremely familiar about it. As Akane's limp form hit the ground, the figure erupted into a deep, chilling laughter, the shock of which brought Ranma back to reality.

Ranma placed her fist on the cold glass. After all her training, all the things she'd been through, she should be stronger than this. A nightmare shouldn't be able to rile her up this bad...The pig-tailed girl shook her head. She knew that figure...But what did it all matter? It was just a dream, after all. She gazed at her reflection over-imposed against the dark landscape outside the window. Despite her better judgement, the martial artist's mind began to wander...as she remembered the last time she saw that figure…

* * *

"Elder! We need your help!" Akane Tendo said as she practically burst through the entrance door to the Cat Cafe, Ranma in tow. Cologne had just finished stacking another packed box of artifacts beside the hall closet to be taken out later. The crone raised an eyebrow at the two teenagers. After their last ordeal, she hadn't expected any sort of visit from them for quite some time. She assumed the air would need to clear first. Apparently, she wasn't always right about everything. The elder leapt from the floor to perch atop her wooden cane.

"Akane, Son-in-law...to what do I owe the pleasure?" Cologne asked. Ranma opened his mouth to protest the ghoul's use of his now no longer valid nickname, but his blue haired fiancé cut him off.

"Whatever cure you gave Ranma, it didn't quite work!" she answered. Her tone wasn't harsh, but Cologne could see a hint of frustration present in the youngest Tendo's eyes. However, she returned that look with one of confusion.

"What do you mean? He seems perfectly fine to me…" Cologne looked her former son-in-law up and down. His arms were crossed and his brow was more than furrowed. He seemed to be very much of his own, stubborn mind. Akane briskly walked over to the windowsill, grabbed the vase of flowers sitting there, and splashed its contents all over Ranma.

Immediately, the boy was a boy no more. Her eyes glossed over, her mouth fell agape, and her arms dropped limp to her sides. Cologne's eyes grew wide.

"No...that's impossible…" she muttered in shock. Shampoo peeked her head out of the kitchen. Her face was one of fury.

"Aiyahh! What Akane do to Airen?!" she exclaimed. Cologne spun her cane around and fiercely pointed her finger to the door.

"Xian Pu. Deliveries. Now!" the crone barked. Grandmother and granddaughter defiantly stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Shampoo sighed. She forcefully swiped the delivery bag she had been packing and marched over to the entryway. As she passed Akane, she gave her a sneering glance, then she exited out the door.

Colongne leaned in close to examine Ranma's face. She rubbed her chin in thought for a moment, then pogoed over to the box she had just placed by the closet. "It's possible," she said as she hopped off her cane and began rummaging through the box. "That we simply need to administer the cure to both of your forms. I hadn't accounted for your curse." She pulled out a green vial and walked back to the duo. She glanced over at the young Tendo. "Akane, if you would." The elder Amazon held out the cure towards the pig-tailed slavegirl. "Now, order him to take the antidote."

"R-right...Ranma," Akane said, a twinge of apprehension in her voice. "Take the cure from Cologne's hand and drink it."

"Yes, mistress." Ranma responded, robotically. She did as she was told and drank the green liquid. The three stood there in silence for a minute. But Ranma maintained her glossy, expressionless gaze. Cologne frowned. Akane's heart sank.

"Drat," Cologne said. "Well it's worth a try, anyway. Akane, maybe try ordering him to do something else." Akane sighed.

"Okay...umm...Ranma, slap yourself in the face," she commanded.

"Yes, mistress." Without skipping a beat, Ranma gave herself a swift smack to the face. The sound of the slap made Akane wince, and a large, visibly red hand-print remained on Ranma's cheek. Akane brought her own hands to her mouth.

"Ranma, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking...I didn't mean for you to hit yourself so hard, I just-"

"It's okay, Akane...it's okay." Cologne was back on her cane. She patted the young girl on the shoulder. "You were on the other end of this last time. It's different when you're the one calling the shots." Cologne then sighed. "But it's obvious that the cure didn't work." She hopped off into the kitchen.

"But why?" Akane asked, shaking her head. "This doesn't make any sense!" Cologne returned with a kettle of hot water.

"Likely, his curse is somehow interfering with the cure's effects." She poured the steaming liquid over Ranma's head, changing his gender instantly. The boy crossed his arms.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that didn't work…" he said, frowning. "What else you got, Old Ghoul?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Son-in-law…..looks like I need to unpack." She closed her eyes and rubbed her brow. "I've got some research to do."

* * *

A cloaked figure stood peering into the viewing pool below her. Her red-hair almost seemed to shine through the otherwise dark landscape surrounding her. The girl's face bore a smile, a smile that, as far as she was concerned, was well earned. In fact, it was long overdue. For decades now, she had been doing nothing but waiting...waiting for the perfect moment to exact her revenge. And now, finally, the time was almost at hand. Another figure appeared from the darkness and walked up to her side, his face obscured by the cloak hood around his head.

"I've brought what you asked, mistress." He handed the red-haired girl a small vial. She snatched it from his open hand and held the object up close to her blue eyes.

"Excellent, Tso Pu," the girl chirped. "You've done very well." She brushed her hand across her servant's face. Tsu Po felt himself begin to blush at his mistress's praise, but he buried it down. The girl bent down beside the pool. "This should really get the ball rolling." The girl popped off the cork from the vial and poured its black, liquid contents into the pool.

Suddenly, the reflectionless pool began to ripple and wave. It's dark surface was replaced by another image, that of Cologne, sitting alone in her candle-lit room. She was on her knees, deep in meditation. A book of strange symbols and languages was open at her feet. The red-head's smile grew wider. She turned to look back at the male figure. "Let the games begin," she said, raising an eyebrow. She leaned down over the pool and began to whisper.

* * *

Cologne knealt alone in thought. None of this made sense. She had told Ranma and Akane, who the Amazon had sent home hours earlier, that Ranma's curse was to blame for his shaky mental state...but she didn't know if that was really true or not. There really shouldn't have been any reason for the cure not to work, curse or otherwise. Did this have anything to do with her premonition?

The whole reason she had put Ranma through this trial in the first place was to strengthen his emotional resolve. She'd had a dream...a nightmare...a vision a few months ago that she still couldn't wrap her head around. All she knew is that it had something to do with Ranma being in grave danger, and that danger eminated from some unknown, female figure that haunted her dream. But now, her whole plan seemed to have backfired. Her former son-in-law was now quite literally half of the person he had been before she put him through that test. There was no way this was all just coincidence.

'But what does it mean?,' the elder thought to herself. Just then, Cologne's ear pricked up. A voice, a whisper, suddenly seemed to fill the room.

"I'm coming Little Ku-Lon. You'd better hurry…I'll be there soon…" it said, then it erupted into a shrill laughter.

Cologne leapt to get feet. Her eyes wide open, her breathing short.

'No...it can't be!' She thought. As fast as lightning, she rushed to the phone in the kitchen and dialed the Tendo residence. 'I should've know. How have I been so blind?!' After several moments, the voice of Akane Tendo came through the earpiece.

"Helloi, Tendo Dojo, how can we-"

"Akane, listen to me!," Cologne screeched frantically. "You and Ranma need to come back to the cafe as fast as you can. It's an emergency!"

"Elder Cologne? What's…"

"Just do it, and quick!," the elder ordered. "And whatever you do...DON'T let him get wet!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Ch. 2_

 _Note: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or its characters. I never did._

"You propose a what?!" Ukyo Kounji shouted, slamming the glass she had been cleaning down on the counter. On the opposite side of that counter sat her Amazonian rival, Shampoo. The blue-haired girl sat there smirking, slyly, as she swiveled around the straw in her drink.

"It very simple." Shampoo began in her usual, broken Japanese. "Shampoo propose truce! She and Ukyo team up to get rid of stupid Akane once and for all!" Ukyo rolled her eyes. Shampoo was lucky that it was a slow morning or she would have run the girl off so she could focus on customers. The lunch rush could begin at any moment, however, so the last thing Ukyo needed was a stubborn, Amazonian bimbo taking up her valuable prep time.

"Look, Shampoo, you already offered a truce the other day. Why do you think the answer would be any different now?" Ukyo responded, slinging her towel over her shoulder. Of course, both she and Shampoo had been in very different situations on the day in question. Shampoo had come to the young chef in desperation, having been all but ostracized by both Ranma and her grandmother. Ukyo, meanwhile, had been re-thinking her pursuit of her Ran-chan, entirely, after quite an unusual chat with Kasumi Tendo. Though both of their vigor in marrying Ranma had been renewed, Ukyo still didn't trust the Amazon as far as her okonomiyaki spatula could throw her.

"Because Ukyo and Shampoo back on same page, now." The Amazon retorted, as she leaned in closer on the counter. "And because Akane now getting serious…" Shampoo made eye contact with the okonomiyaki chef. Her smirk disappeared, causing Ukyo to frown in turn. Sadly, she had to give the Amazon a point on that one. For years now, both of them had viewed Akane as an obstacle on their path to Ranma...but neither truly saw the Tendo girl as any form of serious competition. They knew they would have to get her out of the way, and both had made attempts to do so in the past. But Akane had never really given any evidence that her intentions for Ranma were anything other than customary….until the other day that is. The chef thought back to the events from a few days ago:

' _Back off you two...He's mine!" Akane had said with Ranma behind her. Facing the two other suitors, she pulled out her mallet._

Ukyo shook her head. For the first time, Akane had laid an actual claim to her fiancee. Sure, she and Shampoo had even been involved in crashing a wedding between the two before. But even with that, never before had Akane uttered something like that… ' _He's mine….'_

"It was probably just a bluff, Shampoo." Ukyo said, trying to hide her own doubt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for my customers." She began wiping down the counter with her towel. Shampoo harrumphed in response and folded her arms.

"Ukyo know Shampoo is right!" she shouted, annoyed. "If Kitchen Wrecker is not nipped in bud, Ranma could be lost forever!" The Amazon loudly took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Besides, something strange going on. Ukyo remember slave pill?" Shampoo's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, Shampoo you told me about that. How could I forget?" She sighed. "But what's your point? You guys already dealt with all that, right?" Ukyo glanced back at the Amazon.

"That what Grandmother said, yes...But Shampoo not so sure." Shampoo returned, finishing off her drink. She leaned in close, again. "Akane and Airen came back to cafe yesterday." Ukyo stopped cleaning the counter and once more gave her attention to the blue-haired warrior. "Shampoo couldn't hear what visit was for, but Grandmother made Shampoo leave." Ukyo began to catch on to what the Amazon was insinuating.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Ukyo said, half masking her tension with a laugh. "You don't mean...You think Akane's still under the effects of the Slave pill then?" Shampoo gave the chef a cold stare, letting the question hang for a moment. Ukyo returned her stare. "Didn't you say that Cologne already gave her the cure?"

"Wouldn't be first time Great Grandmother lied," the Amazon shrugged. "Why else Shampoo not allowed to hear?"

Ukyo glanced at the ground in thought. Shampoo was probably wrong, of course; she wasn't the brightest blue bulb in the bunch...But if she was right, and Akane was still "indisposed" by the Slave Pill…

"But..." Shampoo's face took on a deviously bemused expression. "It not AKANE who under Slave Pill…" Ukyo shot her a surprised look.

"Huh?" Ukyo asked. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Akane not get cure, Ukyo." Shampoo said, maintaining her gaze. "Reversal Mirror switch Pill's effects between Akane and Airen...if Great Grandmother lied about cure…"

"...Then Ranma would be under the Pill's effects…" Ukyo finished. The girl had to catch herself with the counter. Maybe she was a bit harsh for questioning the Amazon's intelligence, afterall. This was crazy. But if Shampoo was right..."W-was he acting normal? I mean, we're jumping to conclusions here a bit, Shampoo…" A smirk returned to Shampoo's face.

"Acting normal?...Yes...HE was…"

* * *

Cologne whipped around on her cane as she heard the cafe door bell ding, signaling the arrival of Akane and Ranma.

"Good, you both made it in…Ranma!" the crone shrieked at the pair as they entered. Both were soaked from head to toe, and Ranma was staring forward, blankly in her female form. Before Akane could respond, Cologne rushed from the room in a flash. She returned with a still-steaming pot of water and doused Ranma, whose form immediately began to change. Life returned to the now-boy's expression.

"Huh...What happened?!" Ranma asked, confusion evident in his voice. Cologne furrowed her wrinkled brow. The Amazon angrily tapped her cane on the floor.

"Yes, Son-in-law. I would very much like to know that as well…" She said, sternly. "Akane, I thought I told you NOT to let him get wet!" The dark blue-haired teen sighed and folded her arms.

"Hey, I tried my best here! But have you ever tried to keep this guy from water?!" She forcefully pointed her finger at her fiancee. Her tone dripped with frustration. "He's like a magnet for the stuff!"

In all fairness, the youngest Tendo HAD indeed tried her hardest to keep Ranma from changing. They'd each left the dojo with a pot of hot water, just in case they needed it. And, as it turns out, they most certainly needed it. Between an encounter with a spontaneously activated sprinkler system, a koi pond full of splashing fish, a misfiring garden hose, and a bursting fire hydrant...they had used all their boiling provisions by the time they had even made it halfway. Despite all of those mishaps, the two had managed to make it within sight of the Cat Cafe when a passing rain shower decided to end their journey in failure.

"Well, it's no matter," Cologne said, letting out a breath. "We are just very lucky that nothing happened...this time."

"Why is it so important that I don't change forms, anyhow?" Ranma asked. "Aside from the whole, slave-pill thing that is…" Cologne's gaze narrowed.

"Akane, Son-in-law...follow me to the back room." The Amazonian elder's tone softened, but her look remained stern. "It's high time I tell you something that I should have a long time ago…" Ranma and Akane both looked at each other with confusion.

"What do you mean, old ghoul?" Ranma asked as the elder began to pogo off towards the hallway. At Ranma's question, the elder stopped dead in her tracks.

"It's time I told you about the origins of the Junsekyo…" Cologne glanced over her shoulder at her former son-in-law. "About the origins of your curse, Ranma…And the imminent danger my actions have put you in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3**

 **Disclaimer, I don't own _Ranma 1/2_ or its characters. No matter how many times i try.**

"Please, have a seat." Cologne said, motioning to the floor mat in her candle-lit room. The space was full of half-open boxes, their contents strewn about from packing and rapid un-packing. Books with odd symbols and writing were haphazardly stacked, and plenty of (undoubtedly mystical or magical) artifacts and trinkets littered the floor. As Akane and Ranma each sat down on the mat, Cologne pulled out a book from the middle of one of the larger stacks. She did so with such precision and speed that the pile did not topple over, despite the book's size. It was a hefty volume, and its age was apparent from the layers of dust and wear that only decade upon decade could inflict. The Amazonian elder blew off some of that dust and began to flip through the book's pages.

"Hey, *cough*!" Ranma said, as he and Akane both choked from the dust cloud wafting in their direction. "Watch where you're *cough* blowing that junk!" Cologne paid the boy's comment no mind, however, as her crinkled fingers continued to turn page after page. The dust had settled by the time the crone found what she had been looking for. She glanced at the two sitting in front of her.

"Do you both remember the story I told you about _Tso Pu_ and _Pi Fum_?" Cologne asked. Ranma's arms were crossed in impatience.

"You may have to hum a few bars…" he said, half under his breath. Akane sighed and gave the sometimes-boy a hard nudge.

"Yes...or most of it, I think." she said. "Soap was a potion maker who was in love with Perfume and jealous of her affair with his rival Rouge. He created the Slave Pill to get Rouge out of the way, but then killed him when Perfume turned down his affections." Cologne nodded.

"That is correct, Akane. However, I'm afraid I left out the next part of that story." Ranma rolled his eyes.

"How am I not surprised," he gruffed.

"Let me begin…by showing you this…" Cologne muttered. She reached between the two pages her book was open to and pulled out a very old, very tattered photograph. "This a picture of 'Perfume' taken just before the Slave Pill was crafted." The elder handed the photo to Ranma. When he and Akane looked at the picture, a cold chill shot down each of their spines. Ranma's mouth fell agape, and Aken's eyes grew wide.

"R-Ranma…" she gasped. "It's...it's you?!"

The ancient, black and white image showed that of a short, young girl standing next to an older, taller girl. A girl whose appearance was unmistakable, even after years of wear and tear to the photo itself. The young woman bore a striking resemblance to Ranma's female form.

"What the hell…" Ranma responded, dumbfounded. He shot a narrow look at the elder Amazon. "If this is your way of telling me I should marry Shampoo because I have some kind of...I dunno...Amazonian ancestor, then you've got another thing coming, Old Ghoul!" Cologne shook her wrinkled head.

"Sadly, no, Ranma. This is no trick or matter of family-line…" She returned. "Well, not yours anyway." The elder snatched the photo from Ranma's hands. She glanced at it again before

continuing. "The reason your curse form resembles Perfume is more tragic than that. Allow me to finish my story."

* * *

'You see, Pi Fum was not just the daughter of a tribal elder, she was also a fairly proficient practitioner of the mystic arts. Her extensive knowledge of mystical artifacts and use of white-magic chants and spells were a well-known asset to the Joketsuzuko. That is, until the day she learned of her beloved Ru Ge's death at the hands of Tso Pu. Enraged and beyond consolation, she decided to enact revenge on her former suitor. She tricked Tso Pu into literally taking a taste of his own medicine...the Slave Pill.

Her plan was to have Tso Pu meet the same fate as Ru Ge, by ordering him to leap off the very cliff where her lover was taken from her. However, when they reached the cliffs, Tso Pu began to plead for his life. He revealed to the girl that, though it was indeed he who used the Slave Pill on Ru Ge, the pill itself had originally been commissioned by the Elder Council, as they initially intended to weaponize its power.

In her grief-stricken state of mind, Pi Fum shifted her blame, not just to the Elder Council, but to all Amazons. She decided to spare Tso Pu's life and keep him as her slave, as she began to plot revenge on the entire Joketsuzuko. Using her knowledge of magic and forbidden tactics, she was able to summon forth an ancient evil, a demon who was long-ago sealed away by some of the first Amazons.

She promised the dark entity that she would take out the descendants of those who defeated him, getting revenge for the both of them, in exchange for the power to do so. The evil spirit granted her request, so I he began using her new magical might and power to terrorize the Amazonian villages.

It took many Amazonian warriors to take her down, but she was finally captured using a pair of mystic handcuffs that had the ability to dampen her magical powers. Both she and Tso Pu were sentenced to death by drowning.

Tso Pu was drowned first in one of the nearby springs. Though Pi Fum's powers were greatly dampened by the cuffs, they were not suppressed entirely. As such, when she was dunked into her own spring, she used the last of her power to enact a curse...and from that day forward, any entity that fell into one of the Jusendo springs would take the form of any being that had drowned in them...including hers.'

* * *

When Cologne finished her story, she let out a long sigh. Ranma and Akane stared at the elder, dumbstruck. Ranma spoke up first.

"So you're telling me, this whole time, you knew where my curse-body came from?" he asked. "And you didn't ever think it pertinent to tell me?" Cologne met her ex-son-in-law's gaze.

"I never really thought it was necessary for you to know. Before now, that is. It's not like that information would've ever brought you closer to a cure, Son-in-law."

"So what exactly does this have to do with Ranma's current condition?" Akane asked, wearily. "Why is it important now?" Cologne's eyes narrowed.

"I've always wondered if there were more to Perfume's curse. It always seemed odd to me, but I think we've all come to accept it as a part of our lives." She glanced over at a box of Shampoo's cat toys in the corner of the room. "Quirks and all." Suddenly, her voice grew grave. "But I had a premonition the other night, one I warned you about, Ranma." Ranma nodded.

"Yeah, I remember," he said. "You said you sensed some kind of 'imminent danger.'" Ranma made quotation symbols with his fingers. Cologne then proceeded to whack him on the head with her cane in turn.

"This is very serious, Ranma." The crone leapt atop her cane. "After you two went home last night, I heard a voice...Perfume's voice..whispering to me. She said she was coming, Son-in-law...and soon."

"What?" Akane asked, puzzled. "But how? Isn't she dead?"

"Yes," Cologne answered. "But her powers may have allowed her spirit to linger on in some way. What's more, I fear my actions may have made matters worse." The crone lowered her head.

"What do you mean, Old Ghoul?" Ranma frowned.

"With Ranma under the full effects of the Slave Pill while in female form, his body is little more than a husk. An empty shell, devoid of self...a perfect target for a wandering spirit in search of her body." The room fell quiet for a moment as the weight of Cologne's comment sank in.

"Wait…" Ranma snorted. "You mean to tell me you think some ancient witch ghost is going to possess me?" This time, it was Akane who gave the boy a blow to the back of his noggin.

"This is no laughing matter, Ranma!" the Tendo girl said. "So what do we do, elder?"

"I'm not sure...but I must try to find out." Cologne responded. She slowly raised her head to make eye contact with the two. "In the meantime, we must do absolutely everything we can to keep Ranma from changing form."

"Wait a sec…" Ranma said as he rubbed his sore head. "You said that you recognized Perfume's voice...How the hell do you know what she sounded like?" Cologne raised a crinkled eyebrow.

"Well, Ranma, I should very much hope that I know what Perfume sounded like," she said. "Afterall...she was my sister."

 **A/N: I've read some of the comments, and I know that there are concerns about continuity issues between this part of the story and established canon. Please note that I appreciate the feedback, but I promise more explanation will come that should ease those concerns. As such, I hope you all will keep reading to see what happens. However, for those of you who don't I want to thank you for reading this far. I wish you all well! :)**


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